MediumNuttyRed CurrantCocoa+1
56CBI · sparse
$1.60/oz
Roaster · Naperville, IL
Sparrow Coffee
18 lots in stock, mostly Colombia, Ethiopia and Guatemala.
- In stock
- 18
- House Index · limited data
- 51
OriginsColombiaEthiopiaGuatemalaKenyaIndonesiaPapua New Guinea
Roaster at a glance
- Tracked since
- April 202622 lots seen; 18 in stock now
- Origins
- 7 countriesColombia, Ethiopia, Guatemala
- Process mix
- Other 33% · Natural 22% · Washed 17% · Honey 17% · Experimental 11%
- Price position
- In line with what its profiles predictMedian of 3 in-stock lots against the price model
- Sourcing
- 39% of lots name the producer or farm7 of 18
- Coverage
- 1 editorial mention · 2 Reddit threadsVideos and articles about the roaster, not by it
- Their channels
- Instagram ↗Facebook ↗Linked from their own site
- Where to find them
- Cafe in Naperville, IL120 Water St. #110
- Merch
- 1 item in stock
How Cherrybook Index is calculatedavg coverage 23% · limited data
Coverage is below 50%. Available roaster-level evidence comes from Reddit. Per-lot evidence from SCA grades, Coffee Review entries, and public on-shop product ratings is limited across the catalog. With limited signal, scores are also pulled toward a neutral 50 baseline by the Cherrybook Index methodology, so lots can read flatter than the actual cup quality differences between them. The average Cherrybook Index therefore leans more heavily on roaster-level reputation than per-lot quality.
Roaster signals
Apply to every lot from this roaster.
- Reddit64/100weight 18%
- YouTube—weight 10%
Per-lot signals (averaged)
Vary across lots; averaged over 18 in-stock lots.
- SCA gradenot on file · weight 25%
- Coffee Reviewnot on file · weight 20%
- On-shop ratingsnot on file · weight 12%
- Cherrybook reader ratingsnot on file · weight 30%
- Transparency42.9/10017/18 lots · weight 5%
Bonuses earned (per lot)
- stale decay16/18
Base components are renormalized over whatever signals are available for each lot. SCA + Coffee Review are capped at 40% combined to keep the cupping story from dominating. Bonuses (accolades, awards, editorial coverage) and freshness decay are applied on top.
The catalog
18 in stock · 4 archived
Kenya Kathima Embu Washed
Black Currant, Baking Spices, and Biscoff Cookies on a washed lot.
Embu, KE · Washed
MediumBlack CurrantSpice
56CBI · sparse
$2.02/oz
Colombia Huila Pink Bourbon Semi-Washed
Expect Almond, Apricot, and Macadamia Nut from this honey lot.
Huila, CO · Honey
MediumAlmondNuttyApricot+4
55CBI · sparse
$1.92/oz
Guatemala Santa Elena Barillas Washed
Caramel, Toasted Barley, and Tropical Fruit on a washed lot.
Antigua, GT · Washed
MediumCaramelGrainTropical Fruit
53CBI · sparse
$2.04/oz
Guatemala Finca El Jardín Pacamara
Cupping notes point toward Pink Lady Apple, Honeydew, and Pear.
Antigua, GT
Medium-LightAppleMelonPear+1
53CBI · sparse
$2.33/oz
Ethiopia Harrar Melesa Natural
Natural lot with Cocoa, Dried Fruits Of Blood Orange, and Plum in the cup.
Harrar, ET · Natural
MediumCocoaDried FruitOrange+2
52CBI · sparse
$1.88/oz
Colombia Nariño Watermelon Double Anaerobic Washed
Expect Sweet, Candy Like, and Juicy Watermelon from this anaerobic washed lot.
Nariño, CO · Anaerobic Washed
MediumWatermelonCashewWalnut+1
52CBI · sparse
$2.13/oz
Papua New Guinea Sigri Estate — City Roast
Black Cherry, Orange, and Baking Spices on a washed lot.
Papua New Guinea · Washed
MediumCherryOrangeSpice
51CBI · sparse
$1.83/oz
Sumatra Arisarina Organic Semi Washed
Gayo Aceh, ID / Wet-Hulled; cup data hasn't landed yet.
Gayo Aceh, ID · Wet-Hulled
51CBI · sparse
$1.79/oz
Ethiopia Harrar R60 Natural
Expect Rich Dark Chocolate and Deep Berry from this natural lot.
Harrar, ET · Natural
Medium-DarkDark ChocolateBerry
51CBI · sparse
$1.88/oz
Ethiopia Guji Biru Wondifraw Anaerobic Natural
Anaerobic Natural lot with Citrus and Berry in the cup.
Guji, ET · Anaerobic Natural
MediumCitrusBerry
50CBI · sparse
$1.96/oz
MediumWatermelonMelonHoney+2
50CBI · sparse
$2.08/oz
Brazil Bourbon Natural
Natural lot with Milk Chocolate and Inherent Sweetness in the cup.
Brazil · Natural
MediumMilk ChocolateOverall Sweet
49CBI · sparse
$1.79/oz
Ethiopia Ginbo Wush Wush Natural
Expect Tropical Fruit, Herbaceous, and Cocoa Nib from this natural lot.
Ethiopia · Natural
MediumTropical FruitHerbCocoa Powder
49CBI · sparse
$2.29/oz
Espresso Cremona
Think Rounded Dry Fruit, Intense Nuttiness, and Caramel Sweetness.
MediumDried FruitNuttyCaramel
48CBI · sparse
$1.79/oz
Espresso Havana
Roaster flags Dried Spices, Green Pepper, and Dark Chocolate in the cup.
Medium-DarkSpiceGreen VegDark Chocolate
48CBI · sparse
$1.79/oz
Espresso Marbella
Cupping notes point toward Raspberry, Clementine, and Milk Chocolate.
RaspberryTangerineMilk Chocolate
48CBI · sparse
$1.88/oz
Archived (4)
El Salvador Monte Verde Natural
Expect Thyme, Lemon, and Mixed Berry Jam from this natural lot.
Santa Ana, SV · Natural
HerbLemonBerry+2
59CBI · sparse
$1.96/oz
Out of stock
Mexico San Isidro Zoquiapam
Roaster flags White Cherry, Red Cherry, and Chocolate in the cup.
Oaxaca, MX
MediumCherryChocolateTobacco
56CBI · sparse
$2.00/oz
Out of stock
Colombia Nariño Inga Natural
Honeydew, Strawberries And Cream, and Roasted Almonds on a natural lot.
Nariño, CO · Natural
MediumMelonStrawberryAlmond+1
55CBI · sparse
$1.92/oz
Out of stock
Spring Blend
Think Cantaloupe, Toffee, and White Cherry.
MelonCaramelCherry
53CBI · sparse
$1.92/oz
Out of stock
Community reputation · Reddit
Mixed reviews· sentiment 64/100
Two independent Reddit threads provide limited, mixed-positive evidence for Sparrow Coffee. A visitor said the coffee was great and the shop had great ambience. A separate brewer said Sparrow's Ethiopian Dimtu Tero did not make a bad cup, but they struggled to extract as much flavor as expected from the light washed coffee.
cafe ambienceEthiopian Dimtu Teropour-over dialing
Threads cited (2)
- r/Coffee · 6↑ · a classic vanilla latte at Sparrow Coffee, Naperville Illinois.
a classic vanilla latte at Sparrow Coffee, Naperville Illinois. Absolutely, their roasterie is in the west loop and the coffee is great! The shop itself also has a great ambience.
- r/pourover · 4↑ · Ethiopian
...with a particular one that I bought last week and can’t quite get as much flavor out of as I feel like I should be able to. I have a fellow ode grinder with factory burrs, this is Sparrow’s Coffee Ethiopian Dimtu Tero coffee. I use the water between 202-204 degrees fahrenheit and have been trying settings between th
Flagship cafe
Naperville Cafe
120 Water St. #110, Naperville, IL
Open in maps →Flagship of two Sparrow Coffee cafes in the Chicago suburbs.
For roasters
Cherrybook runs a monthly Roaster Spotlight Series featuring one roaster with an editorial piece and a giveaway. Interested in being featured? See the format or email josh@cherrybookcoffee.com.